Ghee is a favoured component in Indian cooking. While it was considered healthy once upon a time, today's generations are a little more apprehensive about its saturated fat content. However, many still continue to consume rotis, curries and dals laced with ghee. Could this be a prime cause behind India's growing numbers of lifestyle diseases? We approached a nutritionist and a dietician to help us understand ghee's properties better. So is ghee healthy for you? Find out what they said...

What is ghee? Ghee is clarified butter that is traditionally prepared from cow’s milk. But to speed up the process, you can make ghee with unsalted butter. This butter is melted over a medium flame. In some time, froth will form and the oil will turn pale yellow. Keep it on a low flame till the oil turns golden. Filter it and the ghee solidifies. Ghee does not need refrigeration and it has a long shelf life.

How do Indian households use ghee? Ghee is used in briyanis, mithais like besan ka laddoo, shankarpali, and chappatis; ghee is also used for deep frying. Even though Indians use ghee in preparing dishes, it is not unique to our people. It is also used in Nepalese, Indonesian, Pakistani and Iranian cuisines.

How is ghee connected to cholesterol? Ghee has approximately the same cholesterol content as butter, i.e., 215mg/100gms. Consuming excess amounts of ghee can lead to cardiac problems, hypertension, liver diseases and obesity. If you already suffer from one or more of these conditions, or have been told that you are at risk of developing any of them, then it would be advisable to completely abstain from ghee - pure or vegetable.

Are all kinds of ghee unhealthy? What’s the difference between pure ghee and vegetable ghee? Ms Pallavi Srivastava, Nutritionist at Evolve Medspa explains the difference in the types of ghee. She breaks down the barriers around pure ghee and says “Cow’s ghee is full of nutritive qualities. Pure ghee contains only those fatty acids or saturated fats that are primarily (89%) short chain fatty acids. It is the longer chain fatty acids that are associated with blood clotting and thrombosis.” She goes on to explain how pure ghee is healthier than vegetable ghee, “Short chains are not only easier to digest, but help hormone production and strengthen cell membranes. Ghee's short chain fatty acids are also metabolized very readily by the body. Lab studies have shown pure ghee to reduce cholesterol both in the serum and intestine. This is done by increasing the secretion of biliary lipids.”

So what about vegetable ghee? Is vegetable ghee healthy? Pallavi says, “Indian restaurants and some households may use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (also known as vanaspati or Dalda or 'vegetable ghee') in place of ghee because of its lower cost. This vegetable ghee may contain trans fat. Trans fats are said to cause serious health conditions.” In fact, since vegetable ghee is so high in trans fats, it is considered extremely harmful for people, especially those who live sedentary lifestyles.

Recommended daily allowance - How much ghee can one consume? Nutritionist, Pallavi Srivastava recommends, “Be it ghee or oil, the quantity of fat consumption per day should be limited to 10 to 15 grams per person assuming that the person is not obese. 1gm of oil or ghee provides 9 calories. When ghee is consumed at levels above 10% total calories, it can increase risk of cardiovascular disease. At levels under 10% of total calories, however, ghee appears to help lower cardiovascular risks, especially when other fats consumed during the day are exclusively from plants or plant oils.”

Pallavi lists out the healthy and unhealthy facts on ghee: “It is known that ghee is lower in fat as compared to butter but it still contains saturated fat, therefore not advised to be consumed in large quantities. The purity of ghee is uncertain. Also, use of excessive amount of ghee increases your weight resulting in obesity causing many more diseases and specially it is harmful for elder people and those who do not exercise. In India, ghee is considered healthier than butter. So, in moderation it's healthy. If you're overweight; then restrict your total calorie intake. When comparing Ghee and Butter, the former has 25% more medium- and short-chained fats than butter, and it is better as the chances of them causing cardiovascular diseases are nil.”

“Ghee, or clarified butter, is butter heated until all the water and milk solids it contains have evaporated or floated to the surface to be skimmed off. With 1 tbsp. of ghee containing 121 calories and 14 g of fat, it adds a substantial number of calories and fat to many traditional Indian dishes. As fatty foods are among the causes of heartburn, ghee may be a contributory factor.” Therefore, as a thumbrule, if you're cooking in ghee, increase the dish's total calorie count based on the fact that one tablespoon gives you approximately 121 calories and 14grams of fat. Considering, an average person should consume a maximum of 15grams of fat all day, this one tablespoon of ghee is pretty costly indeed.

“The use of Ghee in modern times is often doubted because of the presence of saturated fatty acids. This is mainly due to the confusion between ghee made from animal fats and vegetable ghee. Pure Ghee is clarified butter whereas Vegetable Ghee is used in restaurants .This ghee is cheaper but has high amount of trans-fats. Pure Ghee on the other hand does not contain oxidized cholesterol or transfatty acids and tastes great too.”

Consider this: If you cook in ghee every day, you are alloting a large portion of your daily calorie intake to pure saturated fat. Even though this might be a 'healthy' saturated fat, it is still crossing your daily recommended allowance by being present in every meal or snack. Therefore, a good recourse would be to either limit it or limit other fats to meet the daily recommended intake, or simply switch to lighter calorie fats.

“Ghee does have multiple benefits, but the catch is to consume it in moderation. Preferably one teaspoon of melted ghee, twice a day will do the job. People with high cholesterol levels are advised not to consume ghee of excess 10% of their total caloric intake.” It comes back to the question of portion control. However, the problem with ghee consumption is not one of health benefits or lack thereof; the problem is its presence in nearly everything consumed. From vegetables to curries, dals, snacks, etc, the use of ghee in such a rampant manner is not healthy. Within the previously mentioned guidelines of portion control, pure ghee may be beneficial to your health. Again, this comes with a condition: If you are diabetic, pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or any other cvd ailments, then you need to consult a medical professional before consuming any ghee at all.

What is ghee? Ghee is clarified butter that is traditionally prepared from cow’s milk. But to speed up the process, you can make ghee with unsalted butter. This butter is melted over a medium flame. In some time, froth will form and the oil will turn pale yellow. Keep it on a low flame till the oil turns golden. Filter it and the ghee solidifies. Ghee does not need refrigeration and it has a long shelf life.